30 THE EEPOKT OF THE No. 36 



which of course comprised only Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec), 

 offered three prizes of £40, £25 and £15 for the three best essays on " The Origin, 

 nature and habits^ — and the history of the progress, from time to time — and the 

 cause of the progress, of the weevil, Hessian Fly, midge and such other insects as 

 have made ravages on the wheat crops of Canada; and on such diseases as the 

 wheat crops have been subjected to, and on the best means of evading or guarding 

 against them.'"' The essay was to be designated by a motto. The first prize was won 

 by Prof. H, Y. Hind, Professor of Chemistry at Trinity College, Toronto, whose 

 " Essay on the Insects and Diseases Injurious to Wheat Crops " was published by 

 the Government in the following year 1857, and was widely distributed to the 

 farmers. Whether the agriculturists of that day were impressed by Prof. Hind's 

 motto, history does not relate, but he selected the following extract from a speech 

 of Napoleon III : " The progress of agriculture ought to be one of the objects of 

 your constant care; for upon its improvement or decline depends the prosperity or 

 decline of Empires." Even the suggested relation of insect pests to the decline of 

 Empires did not produce any impression upon the mind of the Government of that 

 day sufficiently great to induce it to do more than distribute the prize money — and 

 the essays, for we have no record of any further official activity until about twelve 

 years later. 



Nevertheless, systematic entomology prepared the way for the permanent 

 entrance into iCanadian affairs of its practical sister. In 1863 our Society was 

 organized as a result of the activities of the Eev. €. J. S. Bethune and Mr. William 

 Saunders, and I have been fortunate enough to hear the story of its origin and 

 early years from the lips of both of these sponsors, but this story is told elsewhere. 

 It may be remarked, however, that the origin of the Society in Canada may be 

 traced to the publication in the Canadiati Naturalist and Geologist for June, 1862. 

 of a " List of Entomologists in Canada " hy these two gentlemen. This list con- 

 tained the names of thirty-six persons interested in the study of insects. 



The objects of the Canadian Entomological Society were : The formation of a 

 collection of iCanadian insects; the charge of a depository of duplicate specimens 

 for distribution among members, and the holding of entomological meetings. It 

 was inevitable that in the course of these mutual studies the members should be 

 concerned from time to time Avith those species of insects which attracted the atten- 

 tion of other persons than entomologists, and insects of economic importance 

 therefore received attention. In 1865 the Hon. George Brown engaged Dr. 

 Bethune to edit the entomological section in The Canada Farmer, and for eight 

 years information on injurious and useful insects was given through this medium 

 to the farmers and fruit growers. Added stimulus to the investigation of the life- 

 histories and habits of insects affecting the agriculturist was given by the deter- 

 mination of the Society five years after its foundation to publish an entomological 

 journal The Canadian Entomologist, which came into existence in 1868 and soon 

 began to publish articles of value to the practical entomologist. 



The real birth of economic entomology in Canada, in my opinion, took place 

 in 1869 when our Society received a grant of $400 from the Council of the Agri- 

 cultural and Arts Association of Ontario, on condition that '' the Society furnish 

 an Annual Eeport and form a cabinet of insects useful or prejudicial to agriculture, 

 and horticulture, to be placed at the disposal of this Council, and that they also 

 continue to publish their journal." These conditions were readily accepted by the 

 Society, and accordingly the "First Annual Report of the Noxious Insects of the 

 Province of Ontario " was prepared in 1870 and published by the Provincial 



